News conference: Sept. 25, 11:00am, New Jersey Supreme Court building

Contact: Virginia Cline, Heartbeat International, 614-885-7577

TRENTON, NJ, Sept. 24 /Christian Newswire/ -- Heartbeat International joins in a "friend of the court" brief filed today, asking for reconsideration of a recent decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court that deprives women of the right to hear the truth about abortion. On September 25, 2007, Choices of the Heart Director Rita Reyes will represent Heartbeat at a news conference at the New Jersey Supreme Court building at 11:00am.

In Acuna v Turkish, New Jersey's high court decided that a doctor may abort a woman's pregnancy without explaining to his patient the biological development of the unborn baby. Rosa Acuna chose abortion only after Dr Turkish said that her baby was "just tissue". Later Acuna was admitted to a hospital for removal of baby body parts that Turkish had failed to remove.

"We call on the New Jersey Supreme Court to reverse this decision. Women deserve to hear the medically accurate details of fetal development," said Heartbeat International President Peggy Hartshorn, Ph.D. "Abortion hurts women, and an abortion procedure hurts a woman even more when she is duped and exploited for a profit in the process."

Heartbeat International and its affiliates advocate for the true reproductive health and well-being of women.

"When a pregnant woman comes into a Heartbeat center, she wants to know what is happening with and inside her body," said Dr. Hartshorn. "Ultrasound technology, available in many of our centers, reveals the living, growing human being in her womb. Over 75 percent of clients in our medical clinics choose life after an ultrasound. A woman in New Jersey should have the right to know that at 7 weeks, her baby is more than 'just tissue'."

More than 390 Heartbeat affiliated pregnancy centers provide ultrasounds. Seven ultrasound-equipped centers in New Jersey serve more than 4,000 women each year.

Choices of the Heart, a Heartbeat affiliate in Turnersville, New Jersey, was co-founded in 1996 by Director Reyes after she experienced an untimely pregnancy.

Heartbeat International, founded in 1971, is an interdenominational Christian association of more than 1,000 pregnancy centers, maternity homes, non-profit adoption agencies, and medical clinics in 47 states and 39 countries.

Heartbeat provides Option Line (800-395-HELP), a joint venture with Care Net, to connect callers with the local pregnancy center for the help they need. Each month our national call center responds to approximately 20,000 contacts and provides a center locator system and Instant Messenger online at www.optionline.org.